NorthEast United settle for a draw against Bengaluru FC at home | ISL 2023-24

The Indira Gandhi Athletic Stadium witnessed an exciting 1-1 draw between hosts NorthEast United FC and Bengaluru FC in Guwahati on Sunday, November 26.

Sunil Chhetri gave Bengaluru FC the lead with a coolly dispatched penalty in the first half. NorthEast United roared back into the game in the last minute of additional time in the first half with Alexander Jovanovic heading in an own goal. A less eventful second half meant that the game ended in a 1-1 stalemate.

Both sides went into the game in desperate need of a victory. Bengaluru had picked up just a solitary win in six games whereas the Highlanders had registered two wins and an equal number of draws and losses. A win for NorthEast United could have taken them all the way into the top four spots.

Juan Pedro Benali made a couple of changes to his lineup. Romain Phillipoteaux replaced Ibsen Melo in attack while Gani Nigam came in for Phalguni Singh in the middle of the park.

On the other hand, Simon Grayson opted for an extra foreigner in attack, opting for Javi Hernandez and benching the center-back Slavko Damjanovic.

Shankar Sampingraj slotted into the backline while Harsh Patre sat among the reserves. Naorem Roshan Singh replaced Jessel Carneiro in the left-back position for the Blues.

NorthEast United showed some real intent in the first 10 minutes, which was easily the most dominant spell by a team in this game. However, the incessant waves of the attack did not culminate in a goal for the Highlanders and Gurpreet and co. did well to hold them back.

Nestor Albiach came closest in the 10th minute but Gurpreet thwarted his effort from close range at the near post.

Bengaluru gradually crept back into the game with Javi combining well with Ryan Williams on a number of occasions. Suresh Singh Wangjam proved to be a constant threat to the NEUFC backline as he made marauding runs from his own half.

In the 24th minute, the 23-year-old decided to go on and take the strike, but Michel Zabaco made a timely intervention.

NorthEast United produced yet another gilt-edged opportunity in the 30th minute, with Jithin MS combining brilliantly with Gani Nigam before mistiming his shot. The ball missed the target by mere inches.

Mirshad Michu's moment of madness kicked off a dramatic final 10 minutes of the first half

Things went down for the home team in the 34th minute with Mirshad making a bizarre decision. The shot-stopper chased a ball at the edge of the box that Javi was clearly going to win. After he failed to get the ball, he hacked the Spaniard down in the box, resulting in an immediate penalty and a yellow card.

Sunil Chhetri stepped up to the spot and calmly dispatched the ball to Mirshad's right, the same way he had gone four out of the last five times. The BFC skipper is now just four goals behind Bartholomew Ogbeche when it comes to the all-time ISL goalscoring charts.

However, the Blues failed to keep the lead for long as Jovanovic's own goal in the second minute of additional time restored parity for NEUFC.

Mohamed Bemammer played Jithin through on the right flank with a delectable pass, which the Indian latched on to. Racing on to the byline, Jithin curled in a cross with venom. The ball hit Jovanovic's head before he could react and ricocheted past Gurpreet Singh Sandhu as the keeper failed to keep it out.

After the dramatic end to the first half, Simon Grayson brought on Curtis Main, the centre-forward, to replace the injured Ryan Williams. This change resulted in Sunil Chhetri being pushed to the wing, which restricted his movement and output in the second half.

The game became more cagey as it progressed, with both sides cautious of not making mistakes like they did in the first half. In the 70th minute, Jithin MS went down in the box, resulting in shouts for a penalty by his teammate.

However, the referee Rahul Kumar Gupta deservedly booked him for a blatant dive as the replay showed that there had been no contact at all.

Sivasakthi Narayan's introduction for Sunil Chhetri in the 79th minute seemed to bring the game back to life as the nifty winger showcased his moves on a number of occasions.

In the 88th minute, he produced a gem of a moment as he dribbled past an opposition player to the byline, then cut inside, past another player, and lashed at the goal. However, Mirshad Michu was up to task and made a solid save at his near post.

As the minutes quickly trickled by, NorthEast United FC got a couple of corners right at the death. Yaser Hamed jumped up to nod a free header goalwards in the first set-piece but Gurpreet produced a regulation save. A bit more towards the corner of the net and the Highlanders may just have stolen the victory.

The draw leaves NorthEast United at sixth on the table as they will be taking on East Bengal on December 4 at the Salt Lake Stadium. Bengaluru FC, on the other hand, are languishing at ninth and will look to gain a victory at all costs against Punjab FC at home on November 30.